Steady as she goes
by In Between Dreams 87
Summary: Regina and Emma find themselves in Neverland looking for Henry and learn they have more in common than they think. While getting to know each other can they find their son? Set after this season's finale. Fun on the Jolly Roger and a trip to an underwater kingdom with guest appearance by Ursula. Swan/Queen :)
1. Chapter 1

A/N I haven't written in a while so I am kind of rusty. Let me know what you think either way, any reviews are appreciated :) Also I do not own any of these characters or once upon a time. Although I wish I did, especially our evil queen ;)

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"Ms. Swan," Regina Mills' voice dripped with venom and irritation as she looked over at her assigned bunk mate, "Must you insist on hogging all the space in here?"

"What? I'm just trying to get comfortable, it's not like you were my first choice to bunk with either," Emma rolled her eyes at the former queen and shoved some more blankets over to Regina, " Here these are yours, I don't think the boat comes with central heat."

Sighing the former mayor grabbed the bundle of blankets and threw it on her side of the cabin. Earlier the choice had been between rooming with Captain Hook or with Rumplestilksin, both options that had left her cringing. Choosing the lesser evil, she now found herself sharing a small cabin with one Emma Swan, something that her roommate didn't seem to find as unsettling as she did.

Although thinking back on it now, the thought of Emma rooming with Hook or Rumple also left a similar uncomfortable feeling in her stomach that she quickly shook off to be sea sickness or a symptom of the impossible situation that they found themselves in. She hadn't noticed the deep sigh that left her lips until she felt eyes on her and quickly looked up to meet sparkling green ones covered in concern.

"Can I help you with something Ms. Swan?" She spat at her bunk mate as she turned around to adjust her bedding and compose her nerves that were threatening her reverie. They should be at the bean portal any minute now, the promise of finding Henry weighing heavily on her.

"We are going to find him" Emma said softly, as if reading her mind. She studied the former mayor across the room, knowing the woman was feeling just as lost in the situation as she did, knowing that the stoic mask on her face was just that, a mask. When Emma had initially realized she had been stuck with Regina as a bunk mate her stomach turned at the thought of sharing a space with her, but then soon welcomed the opportunity to truly get to know the woman that raised her son. Regina was strong, powerful, and could hold her own, in which Emma had tremendous respect for, but too many times could Emma catch a fleeting glance of something more going on behind the mayoral mask. A fleeting glimpse into the true woman underneath it all and she felt the compelling want to know more about the said woman.

"We have to" Regina lamented as she straightened up her bed. Taking a deep breath she turned around to assess their cabin. It was small but cozy, the roof hung long but not uncomfortably so, and the waves could be heard crashing against the side of the boat. Emma Swan was opposite her, busying herself as she looked lost in thought. _Does she really think we can find Henry? _She smoothed out the invisible wrinkles on her skirt as she took this moment of silence to reflect. _Why did she stay in the mines with me? How did her magic feel so good? _Once again she found herself shaking the thoughts from her head as she heard hurried footsteps above them.

"We must be getting close to the portal, let's get up there before Hook capsizes this thing" with a smirk and a wave from her hand, Regina disappeared out of the room leaving a certain savior to smile at herself and catch up to the clicking of heels against wood.

* * *

As Regina emerged into the sunlight on deck, she had to shield her eyes from the blinding light, swaying, she could feel a hand on her back steadying her before stepping forward into the scene at hand. Captain hook was barking orders as rumple and charming scrambled forth securing ropes, turning wheels, and securing what they could as they hurdled towards the swirling purple portal ahead. Snow was at Hook's side no doubt being a full back seat driver. Stepping to her side she saw Emma emerge next to her, removing her hand from the small of her back having found steady ground. Regina couldn't help but frown at the loss of contact, _Wait what? _ And walked over to the side of the boat to get a better view.

The portal was fast upon them and much more ominous than Emma had imagined, suddenly her knees were weak and her nerves were full motion in her stomach. She knew that everyone on the ship was anxious to get to Henry, but she also knew they were just as anxious to go home to fairy tale land, and Emma could not share in that excitement. Her time in fairy tale land was chaotic and all the more foreign to her. The idea of magic and tell-tale creatures still gave her an uneasy feeling, and she couldn't help but feel even more apprehensive about it than last time. Not only did she have no control over the safety of her son, but she had less control of what everyone was capable of once emerged in their realm of magic. She looked over at the mayor and found herself wandering over next to her to join in the view.

The wind was picking up and the roar in her ears was somewhat deafening. _What happens when we go into the portal? _She wondered. She itched for the feel of magic again, itched for the power she will once again possess. Looking over next to her,her thoughts were interrupted by the pure fear seen in beautiful green eyes. _Beautiful? Where did that come from? _Without thinking she reached out to touch Emma's arm, bringing those eyes to meet hers while she nodded to assure the blonde that everything will be okay. She wouldn't dare admit it but the rush that flooded her veins had nothing to do with the magic that was charging the air from the portal.

"Here we go everybody! Hold on!" Hook yelled over the roar, the portal now taking control of the ship as the wheel spun violently out of his hands. The ship rocked and dipped mercilessly in the hold of the portal, and deep brown eyes met green ones as the ship was swallowed in the purple swell.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again! Life has been hectic but I still plan on continuing the story. Thanks for the review! Chapter 3 should be up soon after this. Probably going to be some fluff.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters still :( blah blah blah but all the mistakes are mine

Enjoy!

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She didn't notice anything. That the deafening noise had stopped. That the spinning had stopped. Nothing. All that Emma Swan could focus on was that she was still holding onto Regina's arm.

The roar in her ears stopped. The world seemed still to her as she slowly started to process what was going on around her. She could hear the waves hitting the boat, feel the sun beating down on her fair skin, and slowly comprehend the voice speaking to her.

"Ms. Swan… Sherriff… Sherriff Swan… Ms. Swan.." Green eyes met brown eyes and the words started to slowly sink in. "Emma"

Her eyes snapped up to meet deep brown and quickly she realized what just happened, "The portal, did we make it?" Emma asked.

The fear that she saw in Emma's eyes created an uneasy feeling in Regina's stomach as she looked at the grip on her arm that Emma was still holding, like she was grounding her, holding the savior steady.

"We made it, we are near Neverland, we just need to figure out how to get there, Emma are you okay?" The mayor asked but as soon as the words left her mouth she focused on building the wall between them. _Why do I care for her well-being? She looks so scared?!_

"Okay, Ya, I'm okay. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to all this magic and using portals. Is poofing as bad?" Emma asked earnestly.

Regina did all she could to stifle a laugh. "Poofing?" She eyed the blonde while slowly releasing her grip on her arm.

Emma's eyes widened as she realized her grip on the former mayor, removing her hands from the warm creamy skin her hands found solace on, "yes, when you disappear in a poof of smoke to some other location?" Her eyes rolling as she finished the sentence.

That's when she heard it. The unadulterated laugh from Regina Mills. A smile from ear to ear, the kind of smile that reaches your eyes, the chocolate brown eyes sparkling at her, and shaking her head.

Emma smiled in return.

"Poofing as you call it is not as bad, But cannot travel as far as we just did" Regina explained to Emma, the smile still touching her eyes.

Emma used all the strength in her to not tuck the piece of hair that had flipped in front of the former mayor's ear. _Wow she is beautiful. _

Regina's smile slowly faded as her eyes followed something behind Emma, and the mask that was the mayor was up completely as a familiar voice rang in her ear.

"Emma, we made it to Neverland! honey are you okay?" Snow asked suspiciously as she eyed the closeness between her daughter and the evil queen.

"Yes, I'm fine, that portal was quite the ride," She tried to hide the falter in her smile as Regina removed herself from the pair and discreetly joined the background of the ship joining Hook and Rumple at the wheel. "How long is it until we reach Henry?"

Snow's face transformed into pure worry and empathy as she reached out to touch her daughter's arm reassuringly only to find her pulling away from her touch. "I don't know yet, we aren't as familiar with this realm as we are to the ones closer to home, we can't be more than a few days away though."

"Days?" She repeated? _I can't believe he got so far away so quick, I can't believe I'm stuck on a ship with Snow White, Rumplestilksin, and Captain Hook?! _She shook her head as if to calm the rant in her head. "Let's find out if there's anything we can do" Emma said as she stalked toward the huddle by the wheel, determined to get some answers which she seemed to lack very little of these days.

Emma walked up to Regina's side without thinking about it and peered over her shoulder as they all seemed to be in intense concentration at something in between them. There in the center of their huddle was the strangest orb, globe, map thing Emma had ever seen. Just by studying it she could tell where on the strange image their ship was and the mass of land their ship seemed to be chasing. It was too far for her liking.

Chocolate eyes seemed to peer up at her with the same level of apprehension that she felt about the ominous distance between the Jolly Roger and their son. Leaning closer to Emma the Queens low voice reached her ears as the others bickered among themselves, "We are here," She said gesturing toward the ships dot, "We are about two days from reaching Neverland which is over that way, but only one day away from possibly being noticed," She looked deeply into Emma's eyes when finishing her sentence, "We do not want to be noticed."

Nodding slowly at Regina, Emma processed what she had just been told. Emma also found that she had leaned into the mayors space while listening to the sultry voice fill her in on their dire situation. _How can I pay any attention to what she's saying when she looks at me with those eyes?And the way the sun is bouncing off her hair like that should be illegal. _Looking around at all the othe people surrounding her she realized that Regina was the only other person on the ship that fully understood what she was going through, that didn't push her or expect her to understand the norm here. They had lost their son. They were in a foregin world. They were stranded on a ship at sea. Normally this would leave Emma in a full panic and feeling more lonely than ever, but one look at the Mayor and she knew she could handle, only if she was by her side.

Regina studied Emma as she nodded, Watching the wheels turn behind those green eyes of hers that made her stomach tingle every time they peered into hers. I guess if she were to be an ally with anyone on this ship it would be her. Not because she was the savior, not because she was Henry's birth mom, but because she is the only one who didn't look at her as the evil queen, the only one that looked to understand her, and the only one who's judgement free attitude allowed her to be herself at that she knew who she was anymore but because more and more she could feel herself becoming the girl who met the stable boy, the girl who enjoyed life and felt hope in the future to be, except now it wasn't the stable boy showing her a way out, it was Emma.

They both seemed to shake their heads of the thoughts swirling in them at the same time as they reluctantly pulled away from each other to assess the rest of the group. The bickering had only escalated and hand gestures were being thrown wildly across the map.

"So we basically can't do anything for about a day right?" Emma lifted an eyebrow toward Regina.

"Right, at this point we play the waiting game." She sighed.

"Well being that you are my bunk mate and all, I guess we will be spending a lot of time together" Emma teased.

"Ah this ship can be as big as we want it to be Ms. Swan" The mayor smirked, "But i am curious as to how the Sherriff's chess skills match up against mine?"

Grinning at the perfectly arched eyebrow being thrown her way Emma couldn't help but feel warmth spread within her, "I guess we'll just have to find out. This way Madam Mayor" She teased walking towards the ladder they previously climbed up on.

"Right behind you dear."

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Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! Loved all the reviews and favs. They seriously make my day. Thank you so much. So to make up for the lack of quick update, here is a longer chapter! Let me know what you think! and if you have any ideas on where you want the story to go please let me know, any type of inspiration or feedback is more than welcome. :)

Now onto the boring stuff; I do not own these characters, and would still love to. Even if it was just for a little bit ;) And per the usual, all mistakes are my own.

Enjoy!

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Mesmerized. Yes that is what Emma was, mesmerized. And losing absolutely horribly to Regina Mills. Who can blame her though? She stared transfixed on the mayor as her laugh echoed throughout the cabin and that gorgeous smile reached her eyes. She took a moment to think back if she had ever truly seen Regina smile, one that reached those chocolate orbs, but couldn't recall one. So Emma sat there grinning sheepishly as Regina took yet another piece from the board and tilted her head back as she laughed with ease, effectively leaving Emma Swan mesmerized.

"Are you even trying dear?" Regina asked, as she looked over at the relaxed blonde. She didn't expect Emma to be as adept in playing chess as she was, but she didn't expect to see the blonde almost enjoying losing so badly either. She could feel her eyes on her, watching her, but in the spirit of this down time she didn't mind.

Shaking her head out of her thoughts Emma looked down at the very lopsided board and frowned slightly. _Okay wow she really is whooping my butt in this. Focus Focus Focus. _She looked up at the mayor and all concentration faltered as she saw a beaming smile directed at her. _Crap. _"I am I am. I'm just a little rusty. And you're..." _very distracting,"_ very good at this apparently."

Regina still smiling watched the blonde as she rubbed her face in concentration and stared so hard at the board she wondered if she was willing it to throw itself overboard. A laugh she wasn't expecting escaped her lips at the thought and once again pierced the cabin. "You know we can always play a different game, one less challenging if you want." Regina beamed at her own taunt, as green eyes looked up to her and squinted. Her smiled faltered some as she saw something swirling in those green eyes directed at her and noticed how she looked away quickly when caught. _hmmm perhaps I am teasing too hard._

"I am perfectly capable of playing chess, I just needed a reminder on how all the pieces work and now since you have just about taken all of mine I would say I am thoroughly refreshed in how to play the game." The blonde retorted, suddenly finding her competitive drive. "Now if you could please poof the board back to its beginning state, we can start playing for real." She nodded and smiled at the Mayor wondering if she had bought her excuse, and was pleased to see Regina shaking her head in amusement while waving her hand over the wooden chess board.

"There it is poofed and ready for your turn Ms. Swan" Regina stated as she rolled her eyes and stretched some. Despite all the circumstances she found herself relaxing and actually enjoying herself. Enjoying the company too. She looked over at the blonde who was now chewing on her bottom lip as she studied the organized board in front of her. The mayor found herself smiling to herself because of it. _Since when do I find Emma Swan cute? _She leaned back on her arms and took in the full view in front of her. Things had changed so drastically between them that she hardly had time to recognize it or contemplate what it all meant. Unbeknownst to her the sheriff was slowly but surely creeping her way in, behind her mask, her walls, and into unchartered locked away territory. This was an alarming concept if she could grasp it all, but looking over at Emma as she struggled between which pawn to move, and finally settling on one and moving it defiantly to it's square, the mayor realized the savior was not someone to fear. Green met brown and her heart fluttered. _Focus Regina._

"Good move Swan" her low voice rattled through Emma's brain. _Did that sound more sultry than usual? Oh no I'm starting to imagine things. This is not good. _She watched as Regina kept her finger hovering gracefully over a chess piece before puckering her lips and finally moving it. _It should be illegal to move a chess piece like that, Madam Mayor you are under arrest for sexy chess playing. _Just the thought of it had Emma grinning and dazed. Hearing a snapping sound brought her back into reality and an amused smirk came into focus. _Ah yes of course it is my turn._

Eyeing the board she contemplated her next move. Strategy was key with Regina, and patience. Her playing was over aggressive, and the only way to get around that was to wait it out and have her play into a trap. On the verge of putting her plan in action she felt eyes studying her and couldn't help but look up at the beautiful Mayor studying her. _Focus. Distracting has been her tactic, perhaps I should do the same. _"So Madam Mayor," Emma started, "How'd you get so good at chess?"

Regina turned her head at the question, not expecting the question from Emma, but thought about her answer. "Well to be honest with you we didn't have chess in fairy tale land, but we had something extremely similar. I was bored a lot of the time if I wasn't riding, and one of my teachers would always play the game with me in the afternoon with him. He would never let me win so I had to keep practicing and playing until I finally started to challenge him. Some days we would just sit outside all day and play. While we played it was peaceful and he would tell me of all the history of the lands and past rulers. It seemed like he knew everything and when we were out there it felt like we had all the time in the world to talk about it. So this one day came around and it was so hot outside that we almost didn't end up playing at all, but my mother had found out that was someone was stealing from the crown and was interrogating all these people and locking them up, that we decided hot or not it was better to be outside. And you know what? I finally won that day. Fair and square." Her face beamed with pride and her eyes had a sparkle to it that Emma had never seen before and could so easily get used to it that she made a mental image to memorize every second of it. Regina continued, " I was so excited about it that night, that I ended up running into my mother's chambers and telling her, she was so offended by the idea of me playing this game and interrupting her night that I was sent to my room for a week straight after. We later could only sneak out once in a while to play, but it was always a close game. Always. In a way it was an escape for me. "She paused, seemingly lost in the memory. Her eyes taking on a saddened look. Taking a deep breath she finished, "So when we got to Storybrooke I found the game in a book store and found that I could play, it was very comforting and you wouldn't believe it, but granny plays a mean game of chess" She laughed. "There were definite times she gave me a run for my money" Regina mused, looking at Emma.

Emma couldn't take her eyes off the brunette, and was so transfixed by the story and more importantly this side of Regina, that she had completely forgotten about the game. All she could process was the sparkle in those chocolate eyes that she had seen, and the beautiful intriguing woman before her. The mayor's calm demeanor slowly faded as she studied the blonde studying her. _Emma say something! _The blonde bit her lip and said the only thing that came to mind, "Wow so what you're saying is, that I should've challenged you to a game of checkers instead."

Silence.

Then it happened.

Regina Mills the so called Evil Queen threw her head back and laughed. A complete unadulterated full on laugh. And Emma swan couldn't help but laugh with her. They laughed until their insides ached, and their stomach muscles burned. Looking at each other through teary eyes and raspy breaths, it seemed like their laughter still echoed and bounced off the cabin walls. Emma leaned back and looked at Regina, trying to catch her breath and nodded her head at the woman,

"Sher- Emma, I have no idea why I just shared that with you," Regina said shaking her head at the woman. She couldn't help but look into the now deep green eyes of Emma Swan.

Emma grinned. A Cheshire cat grin. Regina had corrected herself and called her Emma. _Now is not the time to swoon. _"Regina" Emma said softly and leaning in closer to the chess board, looking the mayor straight in the eye.

Regina regained her composure and looked at the bright green eyes in front of her, temporarily getting lost in the emotions found in them. "Emma?" She asked tentatively as she too leaned in over the chess board, eyes searching.

"It's your turn." Emma announced, a smile slowly gracing her face. _You're not the only one that can be distracting._

"Yes Dear".

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Hope you enjoyed reading! And no lie the next one should be up soon this time for real.

And hey go check out this cool review button below...


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone. Loving all the responses :) keep them coming! As promised here's the new chapter on time. Hope you all had a good weekend.

And ya I still don't own these characters blah blah blah. Enjoy :)

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The rest of the evening went by with an ease both women would have never guessed they would share. Regina won five out of six games of chess, in which Emma would not stop gloating about. They topped it off with a few games of checkers, and some good old fashioned hangman. _Who knew the evil queen was such a gamer? _Emma mused. The night ended with a look of longing across the cabin that wasn't lost on either woman. The sighs they breathed out as they each rolled over to face their own respective wall echoed throughout the cabin.

* * *

The next morning Regina awoke before Emma, quickly dressing before heading up to deck to assess their progress. The door closed quietly behind her as she let her eyes wander over to the sleeping figure across the room, the result a slight tug deep within her chest. The morning light was blinding as she used her hand to shield her eyes and make her way over to the silhouette that was none other than Captain Hook himself.

"Good Morning Captain" Regina nodded as she took a standing position next to him, taking in the vast sea before them.

"Regina" he sneered.

"Have we made any progress for Neverland?" She asked, trying to mask the uncertainty in her voice.

He frowned. "It seems something is in our way or shielding us from the island." He gestured towards the compass and map floating above the table next to the ship's wheel. It was turning erratically in all directions, never staying still, and ever changing the course of the ship. By the looks of it, they could not even begin to assess where they were, let alone where they were heading. "Unfortunately I think the trip is going to take us longer than expected." He stated, his mouth now staying in a tight line.

Regina couldn't take her eyes off of the rotating images in front of her. "What could be doing this?" She asked, tentatively trying to still the compass.

"If not something, then someone," he answered solemnly. " I have heard of this effect before from other captains. Not many I might add. It is said when you are passing near or over the underwater Kingdom of Atlantica, all devices cease to work effectively leaving the ship isolated."

Regina nodded, taking in the information and processing what it all meant. She took in a deep breath, the realization slowly dawning on her. "King Triton and.."

"Ursula." Hook finished.

Both stood tight lipped and frowning for some time, staring at the sea as the wheels turned inside their head, reaching for any kind of plan that had a real chance to avoid this ominous danger.

"I assume with the size of the kingdom it probably takes about a day, maybe a day and a half to sail over it. So far it has been quiet, and I feel if we keep our heads down and sail steady that we have a good chance of going unnoticed. Madam I think we need to sail and wait it out." The captain finished and looked at the sails as the wind blew lazily through them.

The mayor took a deep breath to calm her nerves. _ Sitting ducks. That's what we are. _She was infuriated at the predicament they had found themselves in. "So straight sailing until tomorrow morning?" She asked.

"Indeed that is what it looks like." He stated, obviously feeling the strain of the situation he and his ship were in.

Additional footsteps on deck broke the silence between the two as blonde hair shimmered in sunlight and headed towards them. Regina blew out a breath she didn't know she was holding as her eyes followed the blonde's silhouette approach. _Crap how do we explain this to Emma without her freaking out? _ She briefly thought about lying to her, letting her enjoy some ignorant bliss as they seemingly sailed peacefully through the afternoon sun, but knew deep down she needed to tell her the truth. They were building some kind of friendship and she knew more than anything Emma valued honesty. Regina took another deep breath and steadied herself as Emma settled next to her with questioning eyes. _Those beautiful green eyes. The depths in them are as deep as the water we are in. _She shook the thoughts from her head and smiled sadly at Emma. _Here goes nothing._

* * *

Emma could tell immediately that something was wrong. Regina and Hook both looked pale and stiff standing on the upper deck next to the ship's wheel. They were talking quietly but the worry and apprehension written on both their faces had Emma's stomach twisting into a knot. _Something is wrong. _She made her way over to Regina and could feel the woman tense up at her presence, her chocolate brown eyes not half as warm as they were last night as they sought out her own.

"Morning" Emma greeted, eyeing the both of them up. _Who will crack first?_

"Sweetheart, still enjoying your cabin?" Hook teased.

Regina's subtle glare out of the side of her eye was not lost on Emma, as her own rolled at the comment made by the captain.

"Yes Hook, enjoying it a lot actually." She winked at the Captain as the faintest blush crept up Regina's cheeks.

"I see," His eyebrows raised in amusement and curiosity, "well if you find yourself in need of a.." Hook was caught off.

"Enough Hook." Regina raised a halting hand. "Emma I need to speak with you about something." She said as she slowly passed the other woman heading down the stairs of the upper deck. Emma looked up at Hook who quirked an eyebrow at her before his face turned completely solemn and he gripped the wheel noticeably tighter.

Emma turned, following the apple scented wake that Regina left behind as she walked on deck towards the back of the ship. Even though her stomach was in knots she couldn't help but notice the sway of hips that she effortlessly followed. _Even on a ship she's got it. _

* * *

They leaned on the wooden rail looking out over the water in silence for a bit. Regina studying the water and picking at a splinter in the wood. Emma too admired the vastness, but couldn't help being distracted by the way the sunlight was bouncing off of chestnut hair next to her. She may have been staring at one point but wasn't sure.

Regina could feel eyes on her. Building up her courage she finally spoke, "Emma."

"Yes?" Green were now searching a warmer brown than before but couldn't miss the fear she saw in them.

"We have run into a problem. The ship's compass and map are not working properly so we essentially have no idea where we are or where we are going." She paused letting the information sink in and wished she could soothe the blonde as stress clearly now etched the lines in her face. Regina continued, "In the past this has meant that a ship is passing near or over the Underwater Kingdom of Atlantica. " She eyed the blonde for any recognition of the Kingdom. _She's going to make me spell it out._ She took a deep breath, "King Triton's Kingdom… With Ursula."

Emma's eyes went wide. _Of course they are real. Why wouldn't they be? Ursula?! That witch scared the crap out of me as a kid! And she's under our ship?! What are we going to do?! _The thoughts poured in and swirled around her head so fast that she was dizzy. She began biting her lip and gripping the rail tighter. Leaning forward she blew out her breath slowly. _This cannot be happening. _ She felt a hand cover hers and squeeze it gently. Emma started to shake her head to calm some of the thoughts. _Breathe._

Regina's chest ached as she saw the woman in front of her slowly start to panic and realize the danger they were in. And she was helpless to stop it or protect her from it. _Crap. _She did the only thing she could do out of reflex which was to reach for the woman. She placed her hand over hers trying to steady her. Seeing as Emma calmed just a tiny bit, she found her other hand reaching to rub circles on her back. They stood there for a few minutes, the mayor comforting the savior. Emma had now eased into her touch, the circles soothing her and stopping the panic.

"Just breathe" Regina spoke low and earnestly. "Emma breathe"

Emma looked up into those deep chocolate eyes and felt herself feeling better and grounded. There were so many emotions behind those eyes and Emma found herself briefly getting lost in them. Her hand reached up and pushed back a strand of hair behind Regina's ear that had freed itself in the gusts of wind that pushed the ship forward. Regina's cheek was so warm and soft that she didn't realize she had left her hand there.

They stared into each other's eyes searching for an answer when Hook was heard in the distance telling Nolan to change the sails. Regina was the first to move. She took a half step back effectively removing Emma's hand from her cheek. Immediately missing the contact, she pretended to study the railing instead of looking at the blonde in front of her.

Trying to slow her heart, Emma's mind finally started to process all the information." "What do we do?"

"We wait." Regina stated.

Emma huffed in response, clearly as frustrated as Regina. Running her fingers through her hair she looked at the other woman, still captivated by her. "Well what should we do to pass the time?" She smiled.

Regina couldn't help but be distracted by the change of subject and pace. A smile slowly graced her face as she didn't have time to realize it was happening.

"Hmm I sure we could think of something Ms. Swan" She teased.

With an ease that closely resembled the night before they made their way across the deck in hopes of finding some way to pass the hopefully uneventful afternoon.

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So what do you think? Do you mind taking a trip to the Underwater Kingdom? dun dun dun.

Reviews=love

Thanks for reading :) the next chapter is coming soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey everyone! sorry for the long wait, Just got back from vacation and have been trying to catch up on everything. Hope this was worth the wait. Let me know what you think!

I do not own these characters blah blah blah. But I do like to have fun with them :)

Enjoy!

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_Six. Roll a six. Six. Six. Six. _Emma shook the dice in her fist repeatedly, hoping the chant would encourage the dice to roll a higher number. Biting her lip she tossed the dice on the board and watched them roll excitedly away from her.

"YES!" She threw her hands up in the air and pumped them repeatedly in victory."Free Parking!" She took an arm down to move her piece the six places onto the red car in the corner of the board. Yes this was one intense game of monopoly.

Regina rolled her eyes at the scene in front of her, as she grabbed the dice from the board, mentally counting the spaces she needed to skip from landing on one of Emma's hotels. _Four. Roll a four. Four. Four. _Chuckling she looked up at Emma who's eyes seemed to be dancing but focused, and threw the dice. They tumbled across the board. _Come on four._

The news of their predicament slowly made it's rounds throughout the ship, effectively leaving everyone on edge. Everyone seemed to be dealing with it in their own way. The charmings had holed up in their cabin below deck after seeking out Emma to check on her. After finding her in the company of Regina, and expressing their dislike for the arrangement, Emma had not so gracefully told them to back off and worry about themselves. Hook had been attached to the Ship's wheel, eyes constantly searching the horizon for any tell tale signs of where they were. And Rumple had refused to concede to the idea that magic would not be able to get them out of this mess and fix the compass.

So here Regina and Emma were. Up in a lifeboat that was attached to one of the main masts of the ship. Far enough away to feel alone, but close enough to feel secure. The sun was beating down on them, but the sails would shift providing temporary shade, and a constant breeze. A few hours had already gone by as they passed the time with various board and card games, finally settling on mononoply this round. The board was littered with get out of jail free passes, houses, and hotels. Nobody was going bankrupt. Yet.

Regina smiled triumphantly as she bounced her piece away from Emma's row of houses, landing safely on a nuetral space. Leaning back on her hands she turned her face towards the sun and closed her eyes, basking in it's heat and letting out a content sigh. Their legs were touching but she didn't even mind in this heat. She liked it. As she heard the dice roll across the board she heard an excited gasp. The mayor cracked open an eye to peak out at what happened and saw Emma flipping through the property cards and finding the third railroad. _Crap I wanted that. _She quickly let out a sigh and continued enjoying the sun as Emma took her sweet time buying the property and counting out her money.

"What's your favorite board game?" Regina asked, still not bothering to open her eyes.

Emma briefly stopped counting her money to mull over her answer,"Hmm, that's a good question. She idly thumbed through her colorful money, "I'd probably have to say either the game of life, or scrabble. Actually it's scrabble. One of my foster parents would go to work early in the morning so they would be home in the afternoon by the time I got off the bus. Most of the time we would just sit in the living room playing scrabble and eating poptarts. We would just spend hours sitting next to the big dictionary and listening to the air conditioner kick on. I don't know if she was going easy on me, but it was always a close game. And any time I won, we would walk to the local ice cream stand down the street and buy some of those sandwiches. They were so good. They were the half chocolate half vanilla ones you know?" She looked up at Regina expectantly, but half in the daze of the memories. " I loved figuring out words that I had no idea were actual words. Those were the best. I'd try to throw them into a random essay at school. Never helped though, " She laughed at the thought, but then her eyes grew somber and she took a deep breath, "Well eventually her job ended up closing and the unemployment ran out so the foster home took me back, but when I was leaving she gave me our scrabble board. I kept every single peice. I still have it packed in my trunk somewhere." She shrugged at the thought and looked up into the sails, willing herself to rid the memory.

Regina stayed quiet for the moment, studying the blonde and feeling guilty about the past she now carried with her because of her. She was just about to speak up when Emma's green eyes found hers.

"I went to eleven foster homes in nine years. " she paused. "Most were bad, but some were good" she stated. "I learned to pack light and be able to adapt to scenery changes quick. Although I have to say with all my moving nothing has quite prepared me for either fairty tale land or never land." She grinned trying to lighten up the mood. She nudged Regina with her leg as the woman was still quiet but studying her.

"That definitely had to be tough growing up like that, I never imagined your life would be so hard." She hesitated before saying the next part, "I didn't really grow up with a family either. My mother was all about power and control in the worst way. I didn't get to see her much, and when I did it was all business all the time. My father wasn't strong enough to go against her. I mainly grew up with the help of the house. Like that professor I played with in the afternoons. But even once that was found out, that was taken away from me. Everything that was mine was. I didn't have any friends either. That's how I discovered I loved riding horses so much. They kind of became my reprieve, having loyal companions was not something I was used to. And then I met Daniel. He was..." She looked around the clouds for the right words, "He was everything my mother was not. Kind, gentle, caring...loving. He was... everything to me. Daniel gave me hope of another life, hope for good, and hope for a family. When my mother found out she made sure to take him away from me." She looked up into emerald eyes and did not find the judgement she expected. Instead she found concern and something else she couldn't put her finger on.

Feeling vulnerable she looked down at her hands.

"Well through it all, I really like the woman you've become, and Daniel must have been one special man to be able to capture your heart. As for your mom? Sometimes you have to be or find your own family in time."

Regina nodded her head lightly taking in Emma's words, "You are a very strong woman, I knew that from the second I met you when you walked up my door step. You know how to handle yourself and you carry yourself with great confindence, " She looked Emma deep in the eyes, "I saw a lot of me in you that day Henry brought you to Storybrooke. I knew if you stuck around you would be a threat just by being you. But... I am really glad you did."

Emma studied the woman, waiting for her secret lie detecting power to ping, but it never did. Regina was being earnest and she couldnt help but feel a longing for the broken woman in front of her. "Your mother took everything from you and left you with nothing. I grew up with nothing for most of my life. You are so strong having to deal with all of that. But you know what? It brought us Henry, and he gave us both a new start for having a family." Emma took in a shaky breath, trying to control her emotions when talking about Henry, shaking her head lightly trying to keep her thoughts at bay. "When I chose to stay in Storybrooke, I knew I had met my match, "She smiled, "You are just as stubborn as me" She finished grinning at the brunette.

Regina's face quickly transformed from a look of sobriety at the mention of both Daniel and Henry to one of exasperation as she dramatically rolled her eyes at the other woman. "Please Emma, I don't know anyone more stubborn than you" she mused.

"Ha! You are just as bad as me Regina" She raised her eyebrows in challenge. Remembering the game she dramatically started to count out her money again to buy the property, grinning ear to ear as she saw Regina shake her head at her.

Regina turned her attention back to the sun and clouds above them, once again closing her eyes, unaware of the pair of green ones studying her. The way the sun was bathing her illuminated Regina in all the right ways, while the wind whispered through her hair lazily, leaving Emma captivated by the essence of beauty radiating off of Regina.

Emma was consumed by the moment in front of her. She took in a deep breath, trying to steady her breathing as her eyes slowly roamed over the image in front of her. Her chest tightened briefly at the thought of Daniel and Regina. _Am I jealous of a dead guy? _Now it was Emma's turn to get lost in her thoughts as she absentmindedly moved her leg along Regina's.

The smooth and comforting movement broke Regina out of her reverie as she looked down to see the cause. Emma was lost in thought looking between the sails up at the sky. Regina couldn't help but let a small smile grace her lips. She also couldn't help that her fingers had now found themselves to Emma's leg, tracing lazy circles across the soft pale skin. Biting her lip she fought the longing she suddenly felt for the woman sitting across from her. With her free hand she picked up the dice, and threw it across the monopoly board. The sound brought green eyes to meet hers and she smiled a mischievous smile as she moved her piece to the last open railroad to buy. Grinning ear to ear she shuffled through the property cards to buy her new property.

Emma couldn't help but frown at the loss of contact on her leg that she wasn't aware of until it was gone. The tingling sensation that had been left behind from it, had her curious as she saw Regina's mile wide smile, in turn having her smile back as well.

"Don't forget I still own the other two you know" Emma noted teasingly.

Honey eyes looked up at hers dancing and it was now Regina's turn to count out her money dramatically in victory.

Emma rolled her eyes as she studied the board. They were just about even. _Of course she's good at this game. Why wouldn't she be?_ Her eyes once again traveled to the brunette in front of her.

"Favorite ice cream?' Emma asked.

Regina looked up at the question still smiling, "Hmmm, vanilla fudge swirl. Mmmm it is so good. Yours?"

_Did she just moan? I am so going to lose this game. _"Umm, the vanilla and chocolate swirl" Emma answered a bit dazed.

"Favorite snack?" Regina asked, handing over the dice to Emma.

Emma slowly took the dice from the offered hand, brushing finger tips as she answered, "Popcorn, definitely popcorn. You?"

"Popcorn," she grinned "The sweet and salty kind."

More time passed as they continued to play. Looks of longing were shared as fingertips subtly and gingerly traced over pale and olive skin.

"Ohh I've got a good one," Emma smirked, "Favorite movie?"

"Ohhhhh," the brunette narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips thinking, "That is a good one. When we first got to Storybrooke, all the tv shows and movies really fascinated me, I would spend most of the weekend and nights just watching everything. Umm…" She nibbled on her lip as she tapped her chin with a finger.

Emma watched, chin in her hand, the game forgotten.

"I'd have to say…" she paused looking at the sails in thought, "A good year. It's this movie about a guy who's job and company consume his life. He's really successful, really power hungry, but when the last of his family dies and leaves him an estate in France, it reminds him about the important things in life. He goes there and it ends up changing him. He finds family and love, and gets a second chance on life."

She looked deep into Emma's green eyes, taking in the thoughts dancing behind them, and something else she saw swirling in there. Something she hadn't seen in a very long time she thought. "You?"

Emma nodded, "Ah, I haven't seen that movie but it sounds good. Perhaps we can poof up a tv later and watch?" Emma teased, "hmmm I'd say mine is..." She let out a frustrated sigh as she tried to pick.

Regina watched distractedly as she watched Emma furrow her brow and scrutinize her choices. _She's being kind of adorable right now. _Her finger tips danced along the pale leg next to her. _Her skin is so soft. _She mused this thought as she traced the curve of her knee.

"There are so many to choose from, I'd probably have to say chocolat with Johnny Depp. There's this woman who's kind of a gypsy, doesn't fit into the new town she has just moved into, and he's a bit different himself. They end up falling in love and he gets her to stay and stop running and she gets to give him a family."

Regina smiled, "That is a great movie, good choice. Who knew the sheriff had such good taste?" She teased quirking an eyebrow at the blonde.

Emma smiled while shaking her head and taking in the relaxed brunette.

_I could get used to this._

They sat there in comfortable silence, the wind pushing the sails forward, the game long forgotten. The ease between them had intensified to tension as both longed for more than stolen touches and long glances.

Emma dragged her nails lightly up olive skin while watching Regina bite her lip and do the same over hers.

"Regina," Emma said low and sultry.

"Emma," Regina said almost breathily. Surprising herself

Green eyes traveled to red lips while brown eyes traveled to pink.

A craving suddenly taking over both of them, they start to lean forward.

Close enough to feel their breath mingle with one another their eyes close.

The wind stops.

The ship lurches forward.

A roar from underneath swallowing the ship.

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Off to the underwater kingdom we go!

Don't forget to hit that review button :) it's much appreciated

Thanks for the support and reading :)


	6. Chapter 6

Just a short chapter to make up for the lack of posting recently. hope you all enjoy :)

I still don't own these characters but I do still like to play with them.

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The air crackled and felt like electricity. Streaks of lightning enveloped the sky. The light faded as the darkness of the sea swallowed the ship taking it completely under water in what looked to be some kind of air bubble. The decent was swift and strong, seamlessly cutting through the depths of the water deeper and deeper into the abyss beneath. The roaring that was once deafening slowly dissipated as they sank below. The lightning streaked lazily across the bubble surrounding the ship taunting the crew on board.

Everyone was now standing on deck. The Charmings had come up from their cabin and Regina along with Emma had quickly climbed down from their cozy spot. Hook was still at the wheel gripping it tightly as Rumple leaned over the railing as far as he dared to get a peak to where they were headed.

Slowly lights started to appear below, illuminating the depths they found themselves in, giving off an eerie glow of the floor beneath. An underwater kingdom steadily came into focus and all gazes turned to Hook for an answer only to find a look of confusion and terror written across the man's face. Emma scooted closer to Regina as she too found the courage to lean over the railing and see what lay beneath. Buildings made of stone and coral came into view, plants of all colors gave off a natural glow, and movement was seen everywhere. The landscape resembled a small city and it looked as though they were headed towards the town center. The ship now found itself gliding about roof tops, store tops, streets with mer-people, small castles, and lights of all colors radiating off of wild plant life and the inhabitants themselves.

A hand soon found itself on Emma's arm as she leaned over a little too far for Regina's liking. Looking up to meet nervous brown eyes, Emma straightened back up, "It looks like we are pulled into an underwater city, do they really exist?" She asked.

Regina gave the woman a nervous look before answering, "I have heard of them in other realms, most are peaceful, but some have more power hungry citizens than others as you've heard. We should be on our guard but they actually might be able to help us." The brunette offered with a tight shrug. It seemed everyone was feeling the same, as they stood in an almost apprehensive fighting stance as the ship glided over a particularly lit up building into what almost seemed like a football arena before coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of it.

Emma took the time to completely asses her surroundings and put her hand on Regina's shoulder as she looked around. They were in the middle of an arena that seemed to be filled with mer-people, underwater creatures, and stationed in front of chairs that would be placed near the goal if it were a football field. Three immense gold chairs were seated ahead filled by what must be the equivalent to royalty. As Emma squinted taking in the details she started to feel dizzy as she spotted the deep red hair of who she would guess to be Ariel and a very strong older gentlemen holding a trident who she knew to be King Triton. _No freaking way. They actually exist. I am actually here. What do we do? _The grip on Regina's shoulder tightened a bit as Emma found herself swaying with the realization in front of her.

"Emma," she said sternly trying to ground the blonde, "Emma, it'll be okay, hey look at me," Dazed green eyes met hers and seemed to focus some as she started shaking her head.

"That's King Triton, and his daughter Ariel," the blonde replied rubbing at her brow, "Regina we are in an underwater kingdom, we need…" She was cut off by a loud speaker echoing around the ship.

"WELCOME ALL AND WELCOME TO THE NEW VISITORS HERE AT ATLANTICA!" A cheer rose up from the crowd, "TELL US VISITORS WHAT BRINGS YOU TO MY KINGDOM?" His voice boomed over the speakers and was met with silence as no one on the ship knew what to say. Hook's voice was the first to resound throughout the arena as he shakily answered the king.

"IT SEEMS AS THOUGH OUR SHIP WAS BROUGHT HERE, OUR BUSINESS IS WITH NEVERLAND, NOT THE UNDERWATER KINGDOM OF ATLANTICA," His voice echoed loudly and raw over the speakers as if he spoke through a microphone. His face reddened as he looked up towards the gold seated area.

"NEVERLAND?" The king questioned. "NO GOOD BUSINESS IS DONE I NEVERLAND THESE DAYS," He now eyed the ship warily, "WHAT BROUGHT YOU HERE?"

Now it was charming's voice that resounded, "OUR BUSINESS IS OUR OWN," He bowed his head in respect, "OUR SHIP WAS BROUGHT DOWN HERE SIR, FOR REASONS WE DO NOT KNOW."

As if on cue a cloud of black ink clouded the arena and swirled in the wake of who could only be Ursula. The ink cut through the water and swirled in patterns around the arena as she placed herself next to the ship but facing the gold chairs.

"SORRY I AM LATE, DO ACCEPT MY APOLOGY." She addressed King Triton, her voice dripping with venom over every syllable, "I AM AFRAID I AM THE ONE WHO BROUGHT THIS SHIP HERE TODAY," her voice dipped low now studying the crew in front of her, "I sensed very powerful magic residing here and thought it might be for our benefit to see who it was," She used her thick tentacles to push herself off the ground and circle the ship, getting a good view of the crew on deck. "My my aren't we in luck," She sneered, "looks here like we might have some other royalty in our presence." Her movements agitated the lingering ink in the water causing it to slither around her.

The Charming's shifted uncomfortably at the statement, as did Regina. Emma couldn't help but start to feel threatened.

"I present to you The Charmings," she said gleefully while eyeing the rest of the crew, "All the way from fairy tale land I see. Oh what a bunch you are. Looks like we have the infamous Captain Hook here as well." Then she stopped. Tilting her head to the side she stared straight at Regina. A vicious snarl twisting her face into a sick smile. "Well well well, look at who is gracing us with her presence, if it isn't the evil queen herself." She swirled the lingering ink around her letting her words echo throughout the arena.

Regina stood still as she glared at Ursula floating above, a look that she had perfected over the years. Stoic, strong, and powerful.

Clapping her tentacles together she faced the three golden chairs holding the king and his family. "I say we have a little bit of fun with this visit no? A game perhaps?" She glided through the water wickedly. "They win, they continue their business over at Neverland, they lose….they stay here." Ursula smiled devilishly swimming through her own ink.

Regina glanced over at Emma, making sure she was close.

This was going to be more than a detour.

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Thanks for reading! Any ideas or thoughts? please hit that review button

let the games begin :)


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the support :)

This is the last chapter before the games begin. Took a lot of thought but finally worked all the events out!

I still don't own these characters but still like to have fun with them...

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The venomous laugh echoed in Emma's head, keeping her in a daze as she stared at the wooden floor of the ship. The cluster of loud voices around her did nothing to break her thoughts as the rest of the crew brain stormed the ways to get out of the underwater kingdom. _I am in a ship under I don't know how many leagues of water, I am being held hostage by Ursula from the freaking little mermaid, and I think I just met Ariel and King Triton. I am underwater facing Ursula. From the little mermaid. My mom is snow white. _Her lips moved silently as the thoughts repeatedly looped through her head. The situation had become increasingly overwhelming and Emma yearned for some semblance of control in it. The voices dropped briefly rousing Emma from her panic, and drawing her attention to brown eyes staring straight at her. _Regina. _She took a deep breath staring back. _Ursula recognized her. Regina's a target. _She took a shaky breath in this time. Fear flooded her at the thought of Regina being someone's shock toy again. _We need to protect her. _Slowly focusing her eyes on the rest of the scene in front of her, she scanned the room for answers. _We need a game plan._

Rumple and Charming had been screaming at each other for close to an hour now, only briefly interrupted by the yelling of Regina and Snow over them. Everyone was scared, everyone had a plan, and no one was listening. Regina was just about to put Charming in his place again, when her attention was drawn to the dazed and uncharacteristically quiet blonde. _She must be scared out of her mind._ The blonde seemed to sway and Regina had to fight the urge to walk over and steady her. Green eyes met hers and stared intensely as she could almost see the thoughts running rampant through her head.

"We need to win these games," she said loud and sternly. The room hushed and looked at the former mayor. "I have heard of these games before. We cannot get out of them by using magic," she looked at Rumple, "or fighting our way out of the kingdom," she shot a glance at charming, "or attempting to negotiate with Ursula," predictably her gaze was directed at Snow. Now her attention shifted towards the sheriff on the other side of the room, "We need to be strong. We are not getting out of the games so we need to figure out how we are going to win them. She knows us. She knows all of us, except Emma. And she will underestimate her." She paused letting everyone soak in what she was saying, and debated on whether or not to share the last part. She chewed slightly on her bottom lip and found green eyes, they were bright and staring encouragingly back at her, "My moth-, Cora, helped design these games when I was a little girl. They will be grueling and challenging. We will need to bring everything we got. It is designed to push us and show our true intentions for being in this land. We need to win. We need a game plan."

"Do you have magic?" Charming asked.

Regina blinked at him, "Yes, it has returned." Her skin had been tingling with it since they emerged from the portal, itching to be released.

"Can you use it under water?" He asked genuinely.

"Yes, fire won't extinguish here, but it may be harder to use," she offered.

"We need weapons," Snow piped up.

"They will supply us with weapons and a bow for you I'm sure dearie, they want it to be a good show," Rumple chimed in.

Hook finally spoke up looking embarrassed as he asked, "How are we competing in these games if we can't even leave this.. this.. ship bubble! We can't breathe underwater!"

He looked as frustrated as everyone felt.

"Magic dearie, afraid you won't look good with a fin?" Rumple almost said gleefully.

"What?" Emma choked out.

"We can use magic to… transform ourselves sheriff" Regina nodded.

"We're going to be turned into mermaids!?" Emma's eyes went wide.

If the mayor didn't feel so bad for how overwhelming it all was to Emma, she would have laughed, but holding back that thought she still saw the panic in green eyes. Snow moved towards her daughter, drawing a frown on the mayor's face.

"Honey it will be okay. It's a quick spell." Snow tried to soothe her daughter. "Merpeople are very agile in the water."

Emma pushed herself away from the embrace Snow directed at her. _This is too much. _"We need to get ourselves out of here and get to Henry and unless someone has a genius plan on how to poof us to Neverland, I'm going to bed!" and with that she stormed out of the galley and down the hall.

Silence filled the room.

"Well with that I'd say Ms. Swan has the best idea so far, we should all get some rest before tomorrow's challenge." The Mayor spoke softly and walked out of the room.

* * *

Regina didn't know why but she felt the need to find Emma. She soon found herself in the shared cabin facing the blonde who was laying on her bed, arms thrown over her eyes. She felt nervous, and unsure. Something the evil queen wasn't used to feeling.

"Emma," she tried.

"Regina," the blonde said softly.

The mayor took this as permission to approach her bunk mate. Slowly she made her way over to the bunk, not sure what she was going to do when she reached it. A manicured hand reached out to the still form, hesitating before resting on an arm.

"You are a target Regina, she's coming after you," the blonde said shakily, arms still covering her eyes.

The brunette was surprised at this. _All of this and she's worried about me being a target?_ "Let me handle Ursula. She won't be targeting you, she will underestimate you and I know how much you love proving people wrong," she cooed.

A small snort escaped the blonde as she peaked up from under her eyes, finally looking at the mayor near her. "Oh please, I'll be too busy trying to figure out how to use my whatever fin to swim."

Now it was Regina's turn to stifle a snort. "My dear it's just some gills and webbing, it really isn't all that terrible," she said waving a hand, "besides I can't wait to see Hook as one." She grinned nudging the blonde.

The mood around Emma eased some before turning somber again. "This is all too much. The whole underwater kingdom and evil squid thing. I don't want you to be a target," she looked up into chocolate eyes, "I don't want anything happening to you. I can't see you be tortured again. I-"

She was cut off by the bed dipping and Regina sitting down next to her. Emma eyed the woman before slowly sitting up and nudging her shoulder with her own. She watched as an abundance of emotions swirled behind chocolate eyes.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," Regina finally said looking deep into green eyes, "I won't. I'd rather her come after me than you."

Emma shook her head.

Regina leaned back against the wall watching the shadows dance across it, allowing her thoughts to slow in the quiet. Emma soon leaned back copying the mayor but decided to lean her head on the brunette's shoulder, the smell of apples and spice calming her. "Emma," she breathed in the vanilla radiating off the sheriff and rested her head on the blonde hair, "How good are you at mazes?" She smiled.

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Thanks for reading! let me know what you think... please?

If you have any ideas let me know, the next chapter should be up this weekend.

Enjoy :)


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry for the long wait but life has been hectic. Here is the first part of the underwater games! chapter 9 is almost finished so that will be up shortly. Thank you for your patience, all the reviews, and follows! I love it! I do not own any of these characters :( *sighs*

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The water felt cool against her skin. A small amount of bubbles escaped through her gills and Emma Swan watched them trail upward towards a sunless sky. She shakily teetered to the left and flailed her arms to straighten herself back up, the whole webbed feet and hands still not sitting with her well. Finally catching her balance she slowly treaded water and took in her surroundings. They appeared to be on the outskirts of a very tall, very green, and very dense wall of seaweed. The top of the maze swayed gently back and forth in the current that surrounded them. The shadow cast from the tall plants left a daunting and uneasy feel, showing no sign of waited for them behind the small openings that would allow them in. Blowing more bubbles from her gills, she gazed up at them before a familiar face attracted her attention toward flowing raven hair. Brown eyes turned to find hers and the mayor couldn't help but smile at seeing the blonde figuring out her new enhancements. Slightly transfixed at the way Regina's smile was reaching her eyes, Emma found herself smiling back and drifting to the left again. It was only moments ago that the blonde found herself in front of the mayor, ready for her transformation into mer-emma, but she could still feel the tingle of the mayor's magic surrounding her.

* * *

Emma wrung her hands nervously as she waited for her turn on the deck of the ship to acquire some aquatic enhancements. She made sure to be last in line, watching each transformation carefully, trying to figure out what to expect. No one seemed to be in pain or had anything gone wrong, not that she didn't trust Regina's skills, but she knew magic could be unpredictable. She watched Charming jump through the air bubble, his webbed feet gracefully guiding him through the water and out of sight. Taking a deep breath she slowly walked up to the mayor, looking over every inch of her as they were now alone. Her eyes drank in the sight before her, olive skin against a plain back bikini that hugged in all the right places. For a moment all thoughts of the impending game ceased to exist in Emma's mind for all she could focus on was the perfection standing in front of her. Her perfectly shaped legs were toned and smooth, all that time wearing high heels clearly paying off. Emma's eyes travelled over delicious thighs and took in the toned stomach just below two gorgeous, _GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF EMMA! _Her eyes snapped up to dark brown eyes, _are they darker than usual? _And a very sexy smirk from the one and only mayor.

Running a hand through dirty blonde hair, Emma took in a shaky breath for a variety of reasons. _Why am I nervous? I trust her. _She suddenly missed her jeans she had on earlier, her hands instinctively looking for pockets to take refuge in only to find bare skin. They had all changed into bathing suits earlier being as they were going to be spending a lot of time in the water, Emma had chosen a sea green. "So uh, I guess it's my turn now," she said, looking for the warmth she loved to see behind those chocolate eyes. Something swirled behind them that intrigued Emma and she found herself walking closer to the attractive woman now waiting for her, hand on hip and all.

"About time Ms. Swan, I'd never peg you for someone who waited to be last in line for anything," an eyebrow arching perfectly in question. She licked her lips nervously as the blonde approached her, a twinkling look in those green eyes that matched that very distracting bikini she was wearing.

"Oh I'm not. Just wanted to admire the famous talent of Regina Mills, " She teased, "And enjoy some quiet aboard this ship for a change." She looked around the ship taking in their surroundings and took a moment to revel in the calm of being with Regina alone. It soothed her nerves.

Regina studied the woman in front of her, trying to suppress the feeling of butterflies that tickled her insides. Emma looked beautiful in that moment, taking in all that was around them, looking serene. She was right, they were alone on the ship together. Before Regina would have reveled in this opportunity to take down the sheriff and now she wanted nothing more than to be near her, touch her, maybe even taste her. She resisted the urge to reach out towards the blonde and tuck in the stray piece of hair that hung in her face. Emma smiled and looked at Regina who was biting her lip in the most sexy way, seemingly caught in an inward battle.

"Does it hurt?" Emma asked earnestly, "The transformation."

Regina's eyes snapped up full of emotion.

"No" She said softly and raised her hand slowly. Green eyes studied her as she slowly flicked her wrist to summon the magic within her. She felt the familiar tingle surface underneath her skin as she was about to release it, when a soft hand took hold of hers and caused her to gasp. The feeling intensified throughout her body as Emma's magic mixed with hers emanating from their touch. They locked eyes with one another both feeling the energy spreading like wildfire across their skin, a white glow beginning to emit from their hands.

"What is that?" Emma asked in wonder looking between the glow and Regina.

A look of awe graced the mayor's face as she too stared at their glowing hands, "Our magic is…compatible" she said softly.

They both stood there, not wanting to move, but felt the draw between the two of them intensify as the glow spread. Emma looked deep into brown eyes, deciphering all the emotions that flashed behind them. _Wow._

"You're so beautiful," Emma confessed, and without thinking she leaned forward capturing full red lips in a soft electrifying kiss.

Regina's eyes fluttered closed and she could feel the heat flush her cheeks as pink lips were crushed against hers, moving slowly as if to remember each second of it, each feel, each taste. For a moment she was lost in the moment, lost in the furious beating of her heart, and lost in Emma Swan. The kiss deepened, fueled by passion but remained slow and intimate,and just as they pulled apart for some much needed air, Regina bit her lip and flicked her wrist.

* * *

So there in the shadow of the giant green wall, slightly teetering to the left, Emma Swan stood dazed for two very different reasons. Before her loomed a living, breathing, ominous maze designed to pick apart the people she loved within, and to her left stood a raven haired beauty that Emma couldn't seem to stop thinking about. _Did I really kiss Regina Mills? _Her thoughts whirled around her as did the bubbles and swaying seaweed in front of her. _I have never felt something like that in my entire life. It's as if my body was electrified. _As if reliving the moment over again, her fingertips gently traced her lips at the ghost of a memory without her knowing. Movement caught her eye and she looked over to find Regina staring at her with a look of awe and bemusement at the same time. _How does she do that?_ Feeling herself slowly smile at the woman, her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the loud voice directed at them.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Underwater Games! Our first challenge is the deeply dreaded and infamous maze! This living, breathing, maze of seaweed has dark secrets just waiting to be uncovered!" The crowd cheered and chatted animatedly with each other, reliving past challenges they've seen. Emma swayed back and forth nervously as Ursula's voice boomed over the sound system, the maze seemingly coming more alive at the sound of her voice.

"The object of the game is simple," she paused making sure she had everyones attention, "Only one of you needs to survive the perils inside and make it out on the other side. There is no time limit. There is no restriction on magic. And there is no telling which, if any of you will make it out or who you will run into." She grinned viciously at them. "If I feel that you are taking too much time and I find myself bored, I will gladly enter the maze to further your progress," she stated simply, her eyes slowly sizing up the Jolly Roger crew. "Good luck, although I don't think it will help," Her laugh echoed throughout the water as her tentacles guided her towards a tall chair overlooking the maze with full confidence.

Emma felt a shiver travel down her spine as she looked up into the mirky water. _I don't think we are ready for this. _Bubbles increased around her as her heart rate soared through her chest. Green eyes searched out her companions, everyone breaking up into teams silently, each at a different entrance of the maze. The charming's were whispering into each other's ears clearly focused on the challenge ahead, maybe even excited by it. Gold and Hook were standing close but not looking at one another. And finally green eyes rested on Regina, who looked focused but hesitant as she slowly made her way over to Emma, to be on her team.

The raven haired woman nodded at the blonde as she turned to face the maze, "The maze is designed to react to the contestants, and overwhelm them at any turn, we have to be ready for anything, "she stated now looking back at Emma, "Our best chance is sticking together." The crowd came to life in a drawn out countdown, and on one a large horn was blown sending waves throughout the maze and all of it's surrounding waters. Before Emma could register what had happened, she saw the two teams next to her vanish into the green mass in front of them, and Regina's worried eyes beckoning her forward into the darkness. With a shaky breath she leaned forward and swam towards the queen.

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The maze is officially underway!


	9. Chapter 9

Woah twice in one day! I couldn't help myself :) Hope you all enjoy this. The next chapter is already written and finishes the first official underwater game!

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The lighting was much different inside the maze, Emma and Regina stood there a moment letting their eyes adjust to the darkness that emanated from the mirky water. The deafening noise from outside was silenced by the massive walls surrounding them, and there was a certain energy to the water and life around them that would make anyone uneasy. Regina quickly surveyed the area, and gestured toward the only direction they could go in, finding themselves completely alone once again. Emma nodded towards her partner, eyes scanning the seaweed around them for any sign of life and moved to push past Regina to take the lead, but as she swam shakily by the mayor, a strong hand halted her and she was met with focused brown eyes. "Let me go first, I have magic I can use against what we run into," Emma was about to argue, but was too distracted by the strong hand still on her shoulder and the pleading brown eyes of the queen. With a silent nod, Emma let Regina swim in front of her, and made a silent promise to herself that she wouldn't let the woman out of her sight.

They swam through a few corridors of seaweed with no incident, although they thought they heard great movement around them, a shifting noise of sorts that always gave them pause. Emma was lost in thought when she felt herself drifting to the left once again as her eyes searched the waters above for any type of clue that would help them in finding out which direction they should go in. The familiar sliminess of seaweed grazed her arm and she immediately frowned at the icky sensation. Pulling her arm back and ready to catch up to Regina, Emma felt a hard tug on her arm pulling her violently into the wall of green. The seaweed was wrapping itself up her arm pulling her in toward itself, other pieces of the wall now reaching to slither out and grab the rest of her. Panic flooded her veins and she lashed out hard at the offending tendrils. "REGINA!" she screamed. "REGINA!" She pulled and clawed only finding herself getting buried deeper within the wall, seaweed now wrapping it's way around her legs making it impossible for her to swim away. Just as she felt it squeezing harder and constricting her movements she saw purple smoke seep between the tendrils holding her, almost instantly loosening their hold. More flashes of purple surrounded her and she felt her legs become free as she tried to frantically swim away. Her heart was beating in her chest and bubbles constantly surrounded her as she tried to catch her breath and break her hands free. A warm orange glow burst in front of her and she was blown back through the water, landing on a cloud of sand.

For a brief moment she was engulfed in the brown flurry in front of her eyes, and the deafening beat of her heart in her ears. A familiar figure broke through the hazy cloud, "Emma!" the mayor came into focus offering a hand to help her up. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Taking a moment to gather her bearings, the blonde held onto the mayor's arm, looking around to figure out what happened. Aside from a few spots of scorched looking seaweed lining the corridor everything looked normal. Emma shook her head in an attempt to focus. She looked up into the warm brown eyes of the mayor, finding a twinge of purple outlining them. _At least I'm not the only one freaked out here. _Concern was written all over the mayor's face as she started to look the woman over for any injuries. "I don't know what happened," Emma started, "I bumped into the seaweed and all of a sudden it started to pull me into it."

Regina eyed the corridor with a glare, purple now starting to slowly swirl in her eyes. Emma reached up and touched her cheek out of instinct, immediately drawing the brunette's eyes to hers. "Woah" Emma breathed, commenting on the mayor's eyes.

"Magic." Regina shrugged. She looked once more into green eyes seeing she was okay and tried to focus on the task at hand, pulling away from the blonde. Emma noticed the mayoral mask back up and frowned. "Thank you for helping me." the sheriff said softly.

The brunette continued down the corridor slowly, "You're welcome sheriff, now no more touching the sides of the corridor." and with that she disappeared around another huffed out a cloud of bubbles and swam to catch up.'

* * *

The charming's walked close to one another staying vigilant and almost enjoying the excitement of the adventure at hand. "The maze is bigger than I imagined." Snow announced as they rounded yet another corner met with three different corridors to choose from.

"Yeah, Ursula really isn't playing around with this underwater game business," David said while gesturing towards the middle choice shrugging his shoulders at snow for agreement. The pixie hair woman nodded and proceeded ahead cautiously.

"It's kind of exciting though, being on an adventure with you again. It reminds me of old times back in fairy tale land. I like storybrooke but I miss the thrill of an unpredictable world." She said stopping to look at another dead end.

"I know what you mean but I really could do without this whole Ursula mess, " he stared at the dead end wall of seaweed and stopped, "Do you think Emma is okay? I saw her walk into the maze with Regina. She really hasn't experienced anything like this."

"David she's our daughter and she slayed a dragon, I think she can handle a maze," Snow smiled at him bumping his shoulder. The charming's sighed as they resigned to having turn around once again. As they made their way back a loud rustling sound turned their attention back to the dead end and a flutter of movement caused the seaweed to wave frantically. A burst of bubbles from all the rustling lifted up into the water and dissipated above them in silence. "Charming?" Snow asked tentatively.

The wall came to life, shaking and writhing rapidly, tendril after tendril seemed to slither across the dead end and down the corridor, multiplying and affectively making the walls thicker. "It's closing in!" Charming yelled while grabbing snow's wrist swimming forward to get ahead of the collapsing seaweed. The walls around them were closing in and the water seemed to only get darker as they neared the corner to head back the way they came. All of the bubbles and seaweed blended together in a chaotic blur around the couple as they swam through the tendrils that were now walling off this particular part of the maze and shifting several of the corridors around them. The slick seaweed grazed their arms and legs as they maneuvered around the vines and corners towards an open space they saw up ahead. Just as the seaweed got a little too thick to swim through it stopped abruptly creating a new wall. The charming's pulled themselves out of the new growth, breathing heavily from the close encounter. Holding hands they slowly backed away from the new structure and into the open space, looking wildly around them. The seaweed now swayed peacefully, only letting a few bubbles escaped from it's hold as other parts of the maze could be heard and felt shifting in the distance.

Taking a moment to catch their breath and bearings they lingered in the opening silently debating on which direction to take. "It keeps shifting, which way should we go?" Snow asked aloud.

"It kind of looks like we are in the center of the maze, as he slowly turned in a circle taking in the full surroundings, "but I'm not sure which way we came from, it all looks the same." David held onto his wife as he looked up into the mirky water above for any kind of marker. "It looks like there is more light over there in the distance, that's probably the end of the maze, we shou-"

The ground beneath them gave in, as they grabbed onto each other in panic sinking into the sand. Everything moved so fast they barely had any time to react. The sand beneath them now swirled around them, drawing them down into it's depths as they struggled to reach the outer edge of this sand vortex. The more the couple struggled the stronger the pull of the sand came around them. "Snow don't fight it! It just becomes stronger if you do!" Charming yelled over the roar of the sand. "You're closer to the edge! Just go!" David was looking at Snow as the sand now reached above his shoulders.

"I'm not letting you go!" Snow demanded reaching to hold onto any part of Charming.

His eyes pleaded with hers and she reached out towards him. The sand was now too strong to fight against and was quickly consuming them as Charming's hand reached for Snows. In a blur of sand and the roar of the vortex, the couple disappeared beneath the chaos united as one as they were lost to the maze. As quickly as it had started, the sand came to an abrupt halt, a small sand cloud settling back onto the ocean floor returning it to it's normal state. No sign of the couple or what had happened was evident in the vast open space once again.

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Hook dragged his feet as he stared at the back of Rumple's head. "Isn't there some sort of spell you can cast that can get us out of this maze? We've been walking in circles for at least an hour" Hook whined. Rumple stopped as they turned another corner and rolled his eyes. "Don't you think I would've used one already if I could dearie?" He replied flatly. Taking a deep breath they looked at the corridors ahead, silently debating which direction to take.

Hook stepped ahead of Rumple eyeing the corridor on the right, "At this pace we'll never get anywhere, we need to get to the middle at least, perhaps we can figure something else out there. This maze is a complete bore so far."

"Ah, ah, ah, dearie, slow and steady wins the race." Rumple brought up his finger to make his point, "And I highly doubt Cora and Ursula had boredom in mind when designing this maze. There is a lot of darkness in here."

The captain waved his hook dramatically around the water, "There's darkness everywhere in this nasty water!" he exclaimed, "Nothing's here! Listen I know you and Cora were uh…close, what'd you think she'd put in here? Killer seaweed?"

"Watch where you wave your hook Killian, you wouldn't want anything to happen to it" Rumple said glaring at the arrogant captain.

"I'll wave my hook wherever I want!" He yelled practically stamping his feet.

Rumple placed both of his hands on top of his cane and eyed the young captain. "Hook might I remind you that we are I don't know how many leagues under the sea, competing in Ursula's under water maze, and currently with a ship that is trapped in an air bubble. Now is not the time to 'wave your hook around.' Now if you'll excuse me, I would like it to make it out of this ever so boring maze as you put it and get back above water. I'm sure you will find your hook excellent company as usual." And with that Rumple stepped with his cane choosing the corridor on the left.

Hook only slightly regretting what he said watched the older man limp off and out of sight before rolling his eyes and looking up into the corridor on the right. Holding his hook up in front of himself and turning it over to inspect it, he let out a resigned sigh and headed down the path on the right. Picking up the pace and choosing to quickly swim down a few corridors instead of walking, he noticed the eerie silence that surrounded him, becoming more aware of the still seaweed. His heart rate quickened, as he paused to listen for any sign of life. Hearing nothing but feeling extremely uneasy in this particular part of the maze, he chose to slowly continue ahead half hoping to run back into the limping man.

Turning around the only corner he could, he noticed crabs littering the path way, lazily crossing up and down the corridor. Motioning his hook in a nonchalant way he made sure to go around each crab not to disturb them. About half way through his trek, all at once, all the crabs quickly scuttled into the seaweed wall, almost as if to take cover. The sudden movement, and quick disappearance of the crabs halted Hook in his place. The seaweed now still again, suddenly looked as if a wave rolled through it, causing it to sway in unison and bend wildly next to the young captain. Hook strained his ears to listen for what was disturbing the seaweed, and heard a faint swishing sound as if someone was swimming through the water around him, circling him. Turning frantically to find the culprit, a cloud of black ink suddenly started to seep down all around him, completely obstructing his view of anything. Slashing his hook wildly at the ink to clear it, Hook was left in the middle of the corridor blinded and lost in the sea of ink. His hook lurched in front of him as he felt a slimy tentacle wrap around his midsection and carry him off into the abyss above. Aside from the high pitch scream that escaped the young captain as he was dragged through the water, Hook was left with no other choice but to concede defeat of the maze by Ursula herself.

* * *

A loud screech drew Rumple's attention to the sea above as he caught a glimpse of Ursula swimming over the maze, with a wild waving hook wrapped in a tentacle. Shaking his head in partial amusement and partial fear he stilled as to not draw any attention to himself. Just as he was about to continue forward a single jelly fish floated down in front of him, hovering in front of his face. Slowly stepping aside the still jelly fish Rumple made to continue forward when a few more jellyfish sunk down in front of him, sufficiently halting him in his tracks. One by one, jellyfish after jellyfish sank down into his corridor surrounding him with long stingers and a dim green glow. With nowhere to move or go his mind raced in panic on what to do. Raising his cane slowly, he gently attempted to nudge one of the jellyfish out of the way, succeeding in removing it from the spot in front of him. Lowering his cane he turned his head to admire his work but saw that the surrounding jellyfish had moved closer to him in response. Frowning he raised his cane again looking for any movement. Seeing the green glow grow brighter, he noticed movement behind the jellyfish as two eels slithered their way through the sea of stingers towards him. Before he could react the eels picked up speed weaving in and around the stingers reaching him with purposeful intent. As they brushed by him on either side, they let their long bodies glide against him with a sickening electric sound, sending sharp paralyzing pain coursing through his body. Unable to move, the eels wrapped themselves around the older man, the water around them charged with electric energy causing the jellyfish to grow bright. As his body went limp against the eels, the jellyfish surged forward lifting his body up and out of the maze, with nothing but the crackle of electricity and an eerie glow.

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Hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think :)


	10. Chapter 10

Hey everyone! Here's chapter 10. Next chapter is water games #2! All the reviews and follows are greatly appreciated :) Enjoy!

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Both women were on high alert after hearing significant shifting, seeing parts of the maze glow faintly ahead, and hearing a very high pitched scream. Although nothing significant had happened to them since the attacking seaweed, they remained close to one another constantly searching their surroundings. Aside from some schools of fish swimming through, and the occasional crab here and there, they really hadn't come across anything too daunting. Early on they had set out a brisk pace through the maze, hoping to slip passed dark corners, but now they had found themselves losing track of time and direction, swimming at a leisurely pace through the twists and turns of each corridor. Emma's mind began to wander toward the brunette once again, swimming behind her as she gracefully glided through the water. At any sign of danger Emma would see her hand glow as the raven haired beauty would immediately seek out Emma making sure she was safe. They had settled into a comfortable silence, at first more focused on the task at hand, but now the sheriff felt her thoughts drifting towards this incredible woman. Feeling anxious she swam up next to Regina, seeking out the comfort she felt near her.

"I have to say, I'm getting pretty good at this mer-emma transformation," she grinned at the mayor, earning herself a small smile from the brunette.

"You do seem a bit more graceful underwater," the mayor teased. Emma grinned even wider.

As they turned a corner, Emma eyed the mayor, "Can I ask you a question?" green eyes asked earnestly to the woman next to her.

The mayor turned her head towards the blonde immediately seeing the honesty in her eyes, "Ms. Swan I highly doubt I could stop you." She briefly fluttered her eyelashes at the blonde showing the tease in her words. Emma stared for a few seconds before swallowing and gathering up her courage.

"Earlier you said that your mother and Ursula had designed and created this maze, how did they end up partnering up? I just don't see the Queen of Hearts making a special trip to this underwater kingdom for a vacation is all." Emma swam a bit ahead of the mayor seeking out the next corner to survey it's potential danger, letting her question sit with Regina.

Regina slowed her swim and followed the blondes movement thoughtfully. The question had a sting to it, but honestly if Regina were in Emma's position she would be just as curious. Moving to catch up to the sheriff ahead of her, Regina sped up to swim next to her as she answered her question, "Awhile back before my mother became the Queen of Hearts, she was just learning how to use portals that jump from world to world. I don't know if she was looking for something or just curious, but she would disappear for weeks at a time then show up with exotic gifts from each realm." She paused, seemingly remembering those times. "Anyways so one of the portals brought her here and I guess that most people end up down here at one point or another via Ursula. The two almost instantly hit it off, I'm not quite sure what happened between the two but I guess you can say they forged a type of alliance." She looked up at the blonde who nodded at her in understanding, encouraging her to go on. "I want to say the games were Ursula's idea. I imagine she's quite bored down here, plus it's just not my mother's style to carry out something frivolous like this. Although more of the twisted parts and design of it is my mother's doing. Honestly I think Ursula is having a kick out of seeing the Queen of Heart's daughter go through it now. I won't be surprised if she singles me out at some point, and not in a good way. I'm not sure they were still in good graces with each other you know?" Regina looked over at Emma seeing no judgment in the green eyes staring back. It made her feel more comfortable with the woman, and a part of her liked that. A lot.

Emma smiled. She really liked that Regina was opening up to her. The mayor was so complex and possessed so many layers, but the more Emma found out about her, the more amazing she thought she was. She wanted to know more, hear more, and be more. Turning another corner she sighed in frustration. _More nothing. This thing is endless. And seeing Regina in a bikini for this long is starting to become torture. _Shaking herself out of her thoughts she looked around. "Even though we are under what feels like this vast and infinite ocean, I almost feel claustrophobic down here."

Regina nodded, "I feel the same way. There's nothing like a cool breeze and open air. Plus.." She paused considering her next words, "I was enjoying our time on the boat." Regina bit her bottom lip after her confession and swam a little faster than she was before. Emma on the other hand had slowed down and let the words sink in, a huge grin slowly making it's way across her face. "Me too," she replied looking at the raven haired beauty that just swam by her. Both now lost in their thoughts they rounded a particularly large corridor that opened into a beautiful reef with a sunken ship resting in the middle of it. The colors were so bright and vibrant that it stopped both women in their tracks. It was beautiful. Different fish swam in and out of the reef lazily, looking completely undisturbed and completely out of place.

Confused and in awe at the same time both women slowly swam into the area, taking in the scene before them. There had to be a catch. It was a dead end but it looked so peaceful and vibrant. Regina signaled for Emma to stop. She pointed towards the ship, bringing the blonde's attention to it.

"What is this place?" Emma asked.

"I don't know, but if I've learned anything from these realms, it's that things are never as they seem." Regina answered, her fear creeping into her voice.

"It's so beautiful. And it looks untouched, peaceful almost. Perhaps it was a part of the maze at one point and now it's abandoned?" Emma asked almost hopeful.

Regina knew better. Her insides were crawling and something felt seriously wrong. "It's too out of place you know? And it's Ursula's maze."

Emma nodded, slowly getting an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. _Regina is right. This is definitely a trap. _Emma swam up slowly beside the brunette, looking curiously out to the reef, but really she felt the need to protect her. _Ursula could be targeting her. _

"Should we turn back around?" Emma asked never taking her eyes off the scene in front of her, ready to fight. Regina's hand started to glow. _She's thinking the same thing._

A fireball erupted above Regina's hand, waiting.

As if on cue, all the fish around the reef swam chaotically back into their colorful home, vanishing in seconds. An eerie calm took over the open space, Emma at the ready.

A venomous laugh reverberated off of the entire maze as the ship burst open, Ursula spilling out of it.

"Well well well, who do we have here?" Ursula exclaimed gleefully.

Regina thinking quick threw a fireball at the ship, a piece of it bursting into flames distracting Ursula momentarily.

"EMMA RUN!" she screamed.

Emma looked at Regina with pleading eyes, silently telling her there was no way she was leaving her alone. Regina threw another fireball, but this time at the giant squid, while Emma ran for cover. A tentacle came up and blocked the fireball. "You don't get away that easy" She hissed. A giant tentacle lurched forward at alarming speed, aiming straight for Emma. Eyes wide in panic Regina instinctually ran straight for it's path. A fireball flying out of her hand to slow it down. Before Emma could realize what was happening, Regina slammed into her knocking her to the ground just before a giant tentacle wrapped itself around the Mayor, whisking her away up and into the air.

"REGINA!" Emma screamed.

The blonde scrambled to her feet in complete panic, running after the direction that Ursula swam away with, the brunette in her hold.

"REGINA!" Her heart was pounding and the panic that coursed her body blurred her vision. Her lungs were burning as she powered through the water, corridor after corridor whizzing by her. _Ursula better not hurt her! I have to get to her! _Her muscles were on fire as she clipped a corner to run down another expanse of seaweed. Her vision blurred and her heart drumming loudly in her ears, Emma never saw it coming. A whirlwind of fish rounded the corner at her at blinding speed, the blonde running straight into it. She was swept up so high and so fast out of the maze, she barely could comprehend what had happened. All she could think about before her body gave out was one thing, _Regina._

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